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Everything’s Hunky Dory on Oxford St

Last weekend I had the pleasure of two great friends visiting me in sunny Sydney, my gorgeous Swedish friend L came to visit from London and my good friend K visiting from Adelaide. It was a Friday night I wanted to impress them with the fun night life this city has to offer. We started the night with cocktails at Hunky Dory, upstairs from Bruno’s on Oxford St. As it was a balmy summer’s night, I knew it would be a perfect evening to enjoy the outdoor rooftop bar at this fun establishment.

Most people walking down Oxford St would not notice the entrance to Hunky Dory’s, a small dark door next to Bruno’s Italian restaurant (which is just downstairs from the bar). As you walk up the dimly lit staircase, you’ll soon start to hear the funky tunes drawing you in to the place. On the first floor, you’re greeted by the DJ spinning some tunes – a mixture of funk, hip hop and house music. I love the decor, the raw exposed bricks, a huge Moroccan crystal chandelier watched over by two peacocks over the bar and a large brick balcony at the back, with views of the city’s skyline.

We head straight to the top floor, where it was evident that we aren’t the only ones who decided to enjoy this balmy night with a drink beneath the stars. Upstairs, old velvet retro couches, rusty bicycle frames hang from the brick walls, beneath a bright lit up billboard. It reminds me of some of the bars you’d come across in NYC’s soho or meatpacking districts. The rooftop is packed, full of arty looking people chatting away with cocktails and beers in their hands.

I love the menus in this place, their drinks list is displayed in old children’s books – I used to have a few books from this collection back when I was little! Very cute to open “The Musicians of Bremen” children’s book and read a list of interesting cocktails, wines and spirits at the end of the fairytale story. That’s not the ending I remember! 😉

I can never go past a lychee cocktail, so I order the “Highland Swing” (Don Juan Blanco, Honey Dew Lemon, Lychee, Lime), $18. Beautiful combination of honey dew, lychee and lime, the lime counterbalances the sweetness of the honey dew and lychee, very refreshing – it goes down so easily! 😉

We tried a few cocktails on the list, (each is so interesting it is tempting not to try all of them!) another favourite (again with lychee) was the Spice of Life (Plymouth, Ginger, Lychee, Chilli, Kaffir Lime), $18. The chilli gives a lovely bite to the drink.

One of the more ‘manly’ cocktails we tried was the Gentleman’s Code – with the caption “What happens at Hunky Dory, stays at Hunky Dory’ (Jack Daniels Single Barrel, Maple, Aromatic Bitters, Pear), $19 – who would ever have thought that pears would go so well with whisky? A very strong and surprisingly refreshing mix!

We have a few cocktails & enjoy the funky tunes, great company and soak in the atmosphere – nothing beats having drinks outdoors, beneath a clear starry night. Unfortunately we get kicked out of the rooftop bar at 10 pm as due to licensing restrictions the rooftop doesn’t stay open after 10 pm. We continue the night on the second floor, by this time the place is packed, and the DJ has drawn a crowd to the dancefloor. If it weren’t for the fact that after all the drinks we were peckish and wanted to grab a bite to eat, I would definitely have stayed on to dance the night away. Always a fun night at Hunky Dory’s.